


Definitions of Adulting

by tjlyricz



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adulting, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Zuko (Avatar), Guilt, Jet is a bad boyfriend, Katara ships Zukka, M/M, Siblings, Supportive Katara, feel good story, hints at Zukka, idk what else to tag but I'm sure there's something else, katara is an amazing sister, low-key mental and emotional abuse undertones going on, siblings bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:42:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29689689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tjlyricz/pseuds/tjlyricz
Summary: "Oh, Sokka," Katara wrapped her arms around her brother's neck. She hated seeing him like this. Sure, Jet had his moments of being dashing and cunning and all of that, but when he made Sokka cry, Katara would go to war. Of course, Sokka was too proud of a person to let his little sister fight on his behalf, but still.(Jet makes Sokka feel bad for making a mistake, telling him that he hates being the only "adult" in their relationship. Sokka leaves Jet's house to confide in Katara. Katara is there to be the best little sister she can be.)
Relationships: Jet/Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar)
Kudos: 10





	Definitions of Adulting

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So! This is super short compared to other fics I've made, but yeah! I'm not a huge fan of the Sokka/Jet pairing, but this is where the story flowed. Enjoy! :)

The wind howled outside, but Sokka didn't mind. Soon Jet would be home, and they would find new ways to warm each other up. Large flakes of snow draped blankets upon blankets in Jet's backyard. Sokka liked Jet's new house. Jet had saved up enough money and now he had a home he could see Sokka in. Thinking about a future with Jet used to always tug a smile at the edges of Sokka's lips. It made him feel good inside knowing Jet wanted him. He made him feel loved with the adventures they had over the last year of them dating. 

Sokka let out a content sigh as he zipped up his polar bear onesie. It was nice and cozy, and he knew Jet thought he looked adorable in it. Sokka had done his best to make everything look as nice as he could before Jet got home. His definition of clean and Jet's definition of clean were a little different, but Sokka managed. He plopped down on the couch and took out his phone, scrolling through old pictures of them from Christmas and New Years. COVID had really been a pain. But Sokka was determined to make Valentine's Day a good holiday. Two days to go and they'd be in lover's land.

A smile perched on his lips when he heard the front door jiggle. "Jet!" Sokka hollered before jumping off the couch and racing towards the door. "Honey! Classes were cancelled because of the weather, so I came over here early to surprise you with dinner! It's all ready to go. It's PB&J sandwiches because you know I can't cook, but I heated up some french-fries and—"

"Do you know what you did?" Jet nearly growled, shutting the front door behind him. 

_He must have had a bad day again... Sokka's_ happy expression faded into one of concern and sadness. "Um, no? What did I do?"

Jet shook off the thick snow that had collected on his jacket and dropped it to the floor before walking to the back of the house where the garage was. "You forgot to close the garage door, Sokka." 

Sokka could hear the door slam shut as the garage door cranked down, keeping Sokka's car warm. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jet..." Sokka whispered. He hated it when Jet got angry. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it wasn't pleasant. Words were often said that Sokka was sure Jet didn't mean, but that didn't make the words any less painful. "I didn't mean to—"

"You never mean to." Jet's voice was short and agitated. "Do you know what could have happened if the pipes in there froze?"

Sokka was about to answer, but Jet didn't let him. 

"They'd crack and burst. I _just_ bought this house. I'm still doing renovations. I can't afford a problem like that right now." Jet walked over to Sokka until he was about three feet away from him, arms crossed, and face stern. 

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"No, you didn't think. You forgot, Sokka." Jet groaned, running a hand through his snow-damp hair. Sokka's boyfriend closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you know how much that would cost?"

Sokka shook his head regardless of knowing that Jet couldn't see.

"It would be _at least_ a thousand dollars. Do you have an extra thousand dollars on you, Sokka? Does a college student have that extra money laying around?"

Sokka remained quiet. He opened his mouth to reply with something, but nothing more than a soft croak came out, no words.

"You just..." Jet opened his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "When are you going to grow up? When are you going to start acting like an adult? This isn't the first time you've acted like a kid. And you know, it gets really old feeling like I have to take care of you. It’s pathetic!" 

There they were. The phrases that kicked Sokka in the gut like the bullies on the playground. His heart thumped and his ears burned as his eyes drifted down to his bare feet. The onesie seemed to be mocking him, literally physical evidence of him being a child. Embarrassment burned his face. He wrapped his arms around himself before bringing his eyes back to Jet's. "I said I'm sorry."

Jet let out a long sigh. "I know you are, Sokka. You just _always_ do this. I'm usually the one cooking. You just learned how to make pasta last week. You're going to graduate college in a year! The real world isn't going to be nice to you if you keep making mistakes like this or if you don't suck it up and put your big boy pants on."

Tiny tears collected around Sokka's eyes. His body felt too warm in the onesie, rubbing against his body and making him feel hotter and hotter, flames of embarrassment growing inside him. "I can be like an adult..." he almost whimpered. 

"Yeah, I know," Jet chuckled in an irritated tone. "That's what makes this so frustrating. You _know_ how to be an adult. I've seen it in you! You just don't! I'm stuck being the adult while you get to mess around and get away with shit like this. Do you remember last month? If I hadn't been here, you would have set a fire in the kitchen because you weren't paying attention to the stove. Or the time you were being careless and threw the Switch through my screen window because you lost at fucking Mario Kart? Guess who had to clean up that mess? I did." Jet poked himself in the chest. "It's gets _really_ fucking old being the adult in this relationship."

Sokka hadn't noticed it, but the tiny tears in his eyes were streaking the sides of his burning face. He felt so ashamed and angry at himself and with Jet. He's said some hurtful things before, but this? This was new...Or was it actually hurtful? Was it the truth and Sokka just didn't want to accept it?

Regardless, Sokka couldn't handle it anymore. He turned his back to Jet and walked up to his room without saying a word. He stripped off his stupid onesie, almost tearing off the hood, and shoved it into his overnight bag before putting on his school clothes. The bag banged against his thigh as he walked to the garage. "I'm leaving," he announced as he wiped off some leftover tears on his cheeks. 

Jet groaned and crossed his arms again. "You're leaving? Now? It's late!" He threw his arms in the air. "See? _This_ is the shit I'm talking about. You're running away from the facts like a scared _kid_ instead of facing them like a _man_."

Sokka shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "If you don't want to be the only adult in the relationship, then maybe we should break up."

That stopped Jet in his tracks. "You're not serious."

Sokka turned around with his hand on the doorknob to the garage. "Oh, I'm dead serious, Jet. This isn't the first time you've told me this. You've made little comments here and there, but this time you really did it. I've never felt so humiliated by you. I mean, you tell me this stupid crap when I'm in a _fucking polar bear onesie_!" Sokka threw his bag over his shoulder. "I'm leaving." Sokka opened the garage door and started his car. He probably pulled out of the driveway faster than he should have, but he didn't care. If Jet thought of him as a kid, then he'd act like a kid. 

He cranked up the radio to full blast as he drove over to Katara's apartment complex. 

....

"Oh, Sokka," Katara wrapped her arms around her brother's neck. She hated seeing him like this. Sure, Jet had his moments of being dashing and cunning and all of that, but when he made Sokka cry, Katara would go to war. Of course, Sokka was too proud of a person to let his little sister fight on his behalf, but still. 

She felt his back bobbing against her shoulder, little splashes of tears seeping into her shirt as snow from his hair dripped off onto her apartment's floor. 

"Jet was way out of line." Katara rubbed Sokka's back until he pulled away.

"No, I think he actually might be right," Sokka snorted and rubbed the tears from his eyes. "I was thinking about it on my way here. I mean look at me! When was the last time I acted like a man?"

Katara refrained from rolling her eyes considering her brother’s current emotional state. "You act like an adult when you need to, Sokka."

Sokka shook his head. "No, I don't."

Katara groaned. "Stop letting Jet dictate how you see yourself!" She took Sokka's jacket and tossed on the floor. "You're more of an adult than he is."

Her brother ran a hand through his hair and tugged out the tie of his wolf tail. "Pshh, yeah, right. Jet owns a fucking house. I can barely pay rent for the apartment I have with Aang, and Aang pays for most of it! AND HE'S ONLY A FRESHMAN!"

Katara took Sokka's hand. "Come on over here." She guided him to her couch. "Sit here while I make us some hot chocolate."

Sokka nodded his head before flopping back onto the couch with a self-disappointed moan. "Shit! See! Even _you're_ taking care of me!"

Katara rolled her eyes now that Sokka couldn't see her. She waited for the microwave to finish heating up their drinks, and then walked over to her brother, handing him a cup. "Here, it's hot so be careful."

Her brother groaned. "I know it's hot! It's fucking hot chocolate!" Despite his words, Sokka took a pretty big sip. Pain instantly took ahold of his face.

"Told ya," Katara blew the steam from her cup. 

Sokka waved a hand over his tongue as Katara started her "I'm going to make my brother feel better" talk. 

"Look, Sokka," she began, "I know you love Jet, but he makes you feel worse about yourself."

Sokka shook his head again, burnt tongue now back in his mouth. "He didn't mean to," he tried to reason. "He was just being honest."

"No, he was being an ass about you forgetting to do _one_ thing." She held up her pointer finger. "He forgets that, sure, you don't have your own house, but you've gone through more shit than he can comprehend."

She watched as Sokka put the cup down and wrapped his arms around his waist. "That stuff doesn't matter..." he mumbled.

"Oh yes it does!" Katara wouldn't take Sokka talking down to himself. "When Mom died, who sang me songs so I could fall asleep?"

Sokka's eyes dropped to the ground. "...Me."

"When Dad was sent off overseas, who watched out for me in school? Who made our lunches when Gran Gran had to work two jobs to feed us?"

Sokka's eyes drifted to the side of the couch. "...Me."

"And when he won that engineering contest money, who gave me the majority of it so I could go to the private college of my dreams?"

Again, Sokka's eyes moved around the room before landing on Katara. "...Me...I did."

"Exactly," Katara gave Sokka a small smile. "See, Jet might have a house and a 'big boy' job and think that he wears his 'big boy pants' with pride, but he's never taken care of anyone else but himself. He doesn't know what it's like to have to care for someone. Yes, yes, I know he has you, but that's different. He doesn't know what it's like to take care of someone when the opportunity has presented itself."

Sokka gave a heavy sigh and grabbed his cup of hot chocolate. "He's been through a lot of shit, Kay...That's why he is the way he is."

Katara let a tiny, frustrated moan roll out of her. "Yes, I know, he's gone through his own sort of trauma, but that doesn't excuse how he treats you or what he's said."

Sokka only took a sip from his drink. She knew he knew she was right, but she wouldn't push it. Not today.

Katara grabbed a blanket and draped it over their legs. "Look, you know I'll support you no matter what. He's not a total asshole. If you and Jet end up staying together, I'll be here for you. I’ll beat the living crap out of him if he crosses a line that he can’t come back from. But what you do is your choice. I personally still think you could do _a lot_ better, like Zuko, for instance, and—"

That caught Sokka' attention. "Zuko?" He cocked an eyebrow, a curious look in his eye. "Isn't he dating Mai?"

Katara giggled at Sokka's sudden interest in Zuko's love life. "They broke up last month. He came out as bi and told her he wanted to explore that side of himself. Mai supported him in this. There’s no bad blood between them." She took a sip from her cup. "He's always been nice to you...He's never made you feel bad about yourself."

Sokka grabbed a chunk of the blanket a little closer to his body. "Yeah...he's a good friend..." A smile tugged at the corner of Sokka' lips. 

"Anywho," Katara grinned, "What I'm trying to say is that you are more of an adult and more mature than Jet makes you out to feel. You have people in your life that love you and care about you, people that wouldn't make you feel bad about yourself."

"...We'll see..." Sokka whispered into his cup. "Thank you, Katara..."

"Hey, what are amazing sisters for?" She put her cup down and gave her brother a big hug. "Would you like to spend the night here? I could get some more blankets and you could sleep on the couch?"

Sokka shrugged. "I don't know, I'd feel bad making you take care of—"

"Oh my gosh, Sokka! I'm not taking care of you! I'm being a good sister! There's a difference!" She thrusted her pointer finger into the air. "Here," she grabbed her phone, "Okay, it's only nine. And it's what? Friday? The night is still young." Her fingers skated across the phone's screen.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sokka got up and tried to look at what Katara was typing. 

"Oh nothing, just asking some friends to come over." She waved Sokka away.

"Why?" He cocked an eyebrow before squinting to see who she was inviting. 

"We're going to have single's night. I just got some drinks yesterday. I'll ask Aang to bring that new music player thing that he's obsessed with, and I'll ask Zuko to get those spicy chips you like. He always has those in his pantry."

Sokka rolled his eyes but gave Katara a smile anyway. "You just ship me with Zuko."

Katara put her phone down as she walked to the fridge. She pressed her hand to her chest. "What? Who? Me? Never," she winked, grabbing a beer. "Here, catch, it's your favorite."

Katara folded her arms with approval as she watched her brother take a big sip from the bottle. "Hits the spot, doesn't it?"

Sokka nodded. "Yeah...it does." He wiped his lips with the palm of his hand. "Thank you, Kay. I appreciate it."

"Anytime, big bro," she grinned. "Now, help me move the furniture around. There's going to be a few of us, and I want to make sure there's enough room for everyone to lay down if we play spin the bottle."

Sokka almost spit out the beer in his mouth. " _Jesus_ , since when did you like that game?"

"Since the last time Jet made you feel like shit." Katara sighed as if it was obvious. "Come on, they'll be here soon. Zuko's only two floors above me."

"Ah ha, whatever you say, sis." Sokka put the bottle down and helped Katara move the couch and coffee table to the edges of the room. 

Katara could tell that Sokka still felt hurt, but she could see a little happiness and excitement bubbling up inside him. After all the times he watched after her growing up, it was time for her to return the favor. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again! Thanks for reading my fic :D Made me think of my relationship with my sister :) Anywho, please let me know if you enjoyed the fic and/or what you think I could have done better/what you'd like to see in future fics :) I'm always up for suggestions! Thanks again! <3


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